‘Belgium’s Antwerp Port Can Yet Be Iran's Ideal Destination'
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Belgium’s Port of Antwerp Authority Chairman Marc Van Peel said the European port can still be an ideal destination for Iranian cargoes.
“Up until 2010 Antwerp was the largest European port destination for Iranian cargoes. In the light of the recent nuclear agreement and the raising of economic sanctions, we wanted to let the Iranians know directly that Antwerp is still the ideal hub for reaching the European hinterland,” The Maritime Executive quoted Van Peel as saying on Monday.
A delegation of petrochemical and shipping experts from Belgium’s Port of Antwerp visited Iran last week to re-establish shipping and commercial ties.
The exploratory meetings were aimed at making official contacts with Iran’s various bodies. The meetings included officials from Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, the Islamic Republic Shipping line (IRSL), Iranian Customs and the Iranian investment Organization.
The meetings covered Iran’s ambitions in shipping and commerce and the role that the Port of Antwerp might play in attaining the Iranian objectives.
It concluded with a visit to the Shahid Rajaee port in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
Shahid Rajee is the largest container port in Iran, which accounts for nearly half of Iranian shipping imports.
Antwerp is the latest company to explore establishing ties with Iran in anticipation of the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions.
Tehran and the Group 5+1 (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) on July 14 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive 159-page deal on Tehran's nuclear program.
The nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would terminate all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran after coming into force.
October 18, was the so-called “adoption day” for the deal, which came 90 days after the two sides concluded their intensive negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna.
The Iranian parliament on October 13 voted to pass the details of a motion to implement the nuclear agreement.
The bill allows the Iranian administration to voluntarily implement its July 14 nuclear agreement with the world powers under certain conditions.